Holder for eyeglasses and the like articles.



G. H. CLAPHAM. HOLDER FOR EYEGLASSES AND THE LIKE ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1910.

Patented. May 18, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS 50-, FHOTO-LITHOH WASHINGTjON, D. C.

GEORGE HERBERT CLAPI-IAM, E MA cEEsTEE, ENGLAND.

HOLDER FOR EYEGLASSES AND THE LIKE ARTICLES.

T0 allfwhom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H. CLAPHAM,

.- a subject of the King of England, residing at 56 King street,Manchester, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement inHolders for Eyeglasses andthe like Articles, of which the following is aspecification. V

This invention relates more particularly to what are known as automaticeyeglass holders, and it has for its object to so construct them as toenable the recoil or retraction, of the chain, to which the eyeglass isattached, to be checked at any desired length and so prevent theeye-glass flying back and injuringthe user, or vbecoming damaged. Thechain is controlled by a spring drum, or barrel in the usual manner, and

the holder, or case, is provided,'on its circumference, with a circularorifice for the passage of such chain, when drawing it out,

or when restoring or retiring it; but according to arrangement thespring drum' or barrel is furnished with a check, or detent which isliable to derangement the result then being that the chain, whenv drawnout, cannot be returned. Now',for the purpose of my invention,I dispensewith this check 7 runs with an angularly shaped slot, preferor detentand I provide the hole or orifice, through which the chain or eye-glasscarrier ably an elongated V-shaped one, which is advantageously arrangedat a slight angle to the periphery of the barrel or drum, and serves toarrest the recoil, or return of the chain or eye-glass carrier. Thus, ifthe chain be left to itself after the disengagement or release of itscontrolling, spring,

when retiring the eye-glass, the said chain 7 will be caught by one ofits links, between the edges or jaws of the V-slot, and will be therebyarrested, so preventing it flying back suddenly and causing injury tothe user, or

damage to the eye-glass. Owing to the diagonal arrangement of the saidV-slot it is in the line in which the hand moves when placing theeye-glasses on the nose. And in order that my invention may be clearlyunderstood, I will now describe it fully with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein: I

Specification of Letters Patent; Patented May 1 8, 1915. I VApplicationfiled May 26, 1910. Serial No. 5s3,5s0.-

casing showing the opening therein for the passage of the chainorcord-like guard.

In these drawings a is theholder, b the chain, 'orothe'r carrier havingprojections on its length, and c the circular holeor orifice, 0 is theelongated \l-shape'd .slot terminat ing the orifice 0 and'by means ofwhich the projections arrested. In orderto effect the arrest of thechain at any desired length, it

is merely necessary, when drawing itout, or when retiring it, to leaveit to itself, when it will at once pass into the \Lslot 0 whereupon itwill be caught by one ofits links,

chain or carrier 1; is, by one of its links or i between the jaws oredges of the said V-slot,

and be thereby arrested,'so checkingits recoil or retraction. It willbe'seen by reference to Fig.- 3 that the enlarged or free passageportion for the guard, designated; at c, and the. contracted.guard-checking portion 0' constitutes a single unrestricted 5 opening,without" any partitions or projections therein, and which readily permitmovement of the guard from thefree passage to the contracted portionwhen one end" of the guardis moved by the hand in a straight line ordirection.- In other words, it is not necessaryto move the free end ofthe guardifirst in one direction and then inanother direction in orderto inter-lock or unlock or uncheck the guard i V with respect to thecasing This is a great advantage as it serves to facilitate with drawaland winding of the chain without any 7 unnecessary movement of the handon the part of the user; It, will also be seen'that v the walls of thefree passage portion G merge into the walls of the contracted port1on-con gently curved cam-like lines, as indicated at 0 These lines 0 aresubstantially uniform on both sides and serve to guide the guard fromthe free passage to the guard-checkln portion, upon movement of thefree" end 0 y the guard, whether or not such movementaof the free end ofthe guard is accurately made or carried out. It will thus be seen thatthe portions 0 and 0 present a single, un-

restricted opening and not an'opening having any restricting wallportion whatever to interfere with the free movement of the guard.

Obviously, the invention may be applied to similarly constructed springcontrolled holders for carrying pencil-cases, fountainpens, keys, orsuch like articles.

Claims:

1. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a cord orchain-like guard for connection with the article to be held, a casing,and a spring-controlled reel mounted in said casing and normally actingto reel-in the guard, said casing being provided with an aperturepresenting a single, unrestricted and undivided openlng for passage ofthe guard, one portlon of sa1d opening being relatively enlarged withrespect to the diameter of the guard to afford free passagetherethrough, the other portion of said opening being contracted in aV-shaped form to check the passage of the guard, the walls of theV-shaped portion merging into the walls of the free passage portion ongently curved lines.

2. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a chain orcord-like guard for connection with the article to be held, a casing,and a spring-controlled reel mounted in said casing and normally actingto reel-in the guard, said casing having an elongated aperturepresenting a single, undivided and unrestricted opening having anenlarged guard passage portion and a relatively contractedguard-checking portion, the walls of the free passage portion convergingsubstantially uniformly on both sides toward and merging into the wallsof said contracted checking portion on gently curved guiding or cam-likelines.

8. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a cord orchain-like guard for connection with the article to be held, a casing,and a spring-controlled reel mounted in said casing and normally actingto reel-in or wind in the guard, said casing having a single aperturefor passage therethrough of the guard comprising an undivided openinghaving a free guard passage portion and a contracted guard checkingportion, whereby movement of one end of the guard in a straightdirection will permit movement of the guard from one portion of theopening to the opposite portion thereof.

4:. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a cord orchain-like guard for connection with the article to be held, a casing,and a spring-controlled reel in said casing normally acting to wind-inthe guard, said casing having a single aperture provided with arelatively enlarged free passage guard portion and a relativelycontracted guard checking porti with the walls of one portion mergingint the walls of the other portion on gently curved lines to permit freelateral passage of the guard from one portion to the other, theguard-checking portion being angularly disposed with respect to thenormal line of travel of the guard.

5. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a casing,a springcontrolled reel rotatively mounted in said casing, and a chainattached at one end to said reel and having its adjoining links set inplanes substantially at right angles to each other, said reel being soarranged as to normally reel in said chain, said casing being providedwith an oblong opening with rigid edges and having two portions insubstantially longitudinal alinement with respect to each other, oneportion of said opening being relatively enlarged with respect to thediameter of the chain both laterally and longitudinally of thelongitudinal axis of the oblong opening to afford free passage of thechain therethrough, the other portion of said opening having paralleledges and being restricted laterally to such an extent as to prevent thepassage of the chain therethrough, the walls of said restricted portionmerging into the Walls of said enlarged portion on gently curved linesto guide the chain into locked relation with said parallel edges.

6. A device of the class described COl'fi'l'lS- ing in combination, acasing, a spring controlled reel rotatively mounted in said casing, andachain attached at one end to said reel, and having its adjoining linksset in planes substantially at right angles to each other, said reelbeing so arranged as to normally reel in said chain, said casing beingprovided with an oblong opening with rigid edges and having two portionsin substantially longitudinal alinement with respect to each other, oneportion of said opening being relatively enlarged with respect to thediameter of the chain both laterally and longitudinally of thelongitudinal axis of the oblong opening to afford free passage of thechain therethrough, the other portion of said opening having paralleledges and being restricted laterally to such an extent as to prevent thepassage of the chain therethrough, the walls of said restricted portionmerging into the Walls of said enlarged portion on gently curved linesto guide the chain into locked relation with said parallel edges, thelongitudinal axis of said opening being set at an angle to the plane ofrevolution of said reel.

7. In an eyeglass holder, a casing having a spring actuated reel on itsinterior, a chain connected to the reel and being passed In testimonywhereof Ihave hereunto set through an opening provided therefor in myhand in the presence oftwo'witnesses. the casing, said opening beingwedge shaped so as to permit the casing on opposite sides 5 of theopening to engage the chain to hold Witnesses:

the latter against the action of the spring ERNALD SIMPSON MOSELEY, ofthe reel. MALCOLM SMETHURST.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. a 4

GEORGE HERBERT GLAPHAM. a

